US diabetes risk jumps to 40%

Out-of-pocket diabetes costs are rising, and researchers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Health and Human Services (HHS) have found that the number of patients tangling with these expenses is going to spike. The risk of being diagnosed with diabetes by the age of 20 for children born between 2000 and 2011 is now 40%, as opposed to the 27% risk for children born between 1985 and 1989 and the 30% risk for children who were born between 1990 and 1999. The researchers published their findings in the Lancet.

The overall trend also indicated African-American women had the highest risk of being diagnosed with diabetes — 55%. Hispanic men and women were close behind, carrying a 50% risk of being diagnosed with diabetes.

Researchers also noted that in addition to the rising number of diagnosed cases of diabetes, patients are also living longer because of innovations that help manage the disease as well as tag-along co-morbid conditions, specifically in terms of cardiovascular care. This longer life means this younger group of diabetic patients will live around two years longer than those from previous age groups (this assumes diagnosis by around the age of 40). It also means spending between three-and-a-half and four decades managing sugar levels.

Researchers said the United Kingdom, Canada and Finland are showing similar trends.